Rugd1022

With DB losing interest in much of the UK's freight traffic it's no wonder we (Freightliner in my case) are picking up more work. In some cases DB drivers and groundstaff are moving across along with the work (for example the Mendips traffic we've recently picked up). Heard a rumour recently that DB will be pulling out of Bescot altogether and GBRf will be moving in. I was at Toton a couple of weeks ago, I dumped my ballast train in the Meadow sidings at the south end and walked round the back of the shed to pick a staff van up, it's quite a jungle down there with derelict '60s at every turn. And foxes. Lots of foxes..!

More pointless Mini trivia... the only Mini variant to leave the factory fitted with bucket seats was the South African built 1000E, you could have any colour you like so long as it was green...!

My first Mini, my first car too - a 1977 1000, looks red in this rubbish photo but it was much more 'baked bean orange' in hue. The peeling vinyl roof was all that was holding it together, I hated the plastic BL wheel trims and black grille and had big plans to turn it into a Beatle-esque Radford on a budget of fourteen quid but a few months after the photo was taken the engine threw the towel in big time on a dark, wet January night in Leicestershire, so that was that. Note the bonus broken down R reg'd example being pushed onto my neighbour's drive...

These are definitely in the 'old' camp... the Mrs and I have just been watching 'A Shot In The Dark' with Peter Sellers and co pootling about in the Radford modified Mini Cooper which happily is still doing the rounds...

Original photographer unknown, photo c/o Richard Coleman (a long time lurker hereabouts), D5379 down at Bridge Street, Northampton...

Star Maker - The Kids From Fame

And Your Bird Can Sing - Revolving Fabs '66 style...

When The Music's Over - The Doors

No fear of being boiled alive Russ, opinions on old cars have always differed regarding originality / modification and long may it continue! If I had a pound for every dirty look the metallic purple paint job on my Mk2 S received from some of the concours boys I'd be quids in by now...

The engine in Nesmith's Radford was done by Downton so the rocker cover was probably supplied by them too (Since I sold the Jap Mini I've been looking at other older Minis again, the Mk3 Cooper S I had an eye on has sold very quickly but a rare and unusual '67 South African built Mk1 has popped up on the radar).

Some screen grabs from a French TV news crew of The Fabs (and a stray Mick Jagger) alighting in North Wales on 25th August 1967...

Some more shots of Nesmith's Radford, it was said to have been the most expensive Mini they'd ever done up to that point...

This is the only photo I can find of it in the states, looks like it was taken at Burbank Studios in California in '67 or early '68... rumour has it that it was stolen and torched not long afterwards...

Just been sent this cracking photo of Monkee Mike Nesmith picking up his new Radford Cooper S in July '67, the location was a hotel close to Heathrow Airport...

The changeover from Jan to August in '67 caused some manufacturers to have to airbrush some of their pre-release artwork, for example the very early press fleet Mk2 Minis had 'E' registrations which were changed to 'F' for publication in September and October, just in time for the Earls Court Motor Show. If you ever find a Mk2 Mini for sale with an 'E' suffix it'll also have some subtle differences inside to the production cars. The Mk2 Mini range was supposed to have been launched in June / July '67, before the new August registration changeover kicked in but it was delayed because behind the scenes things were very chaotic at BMC at the time.

No photos alas as I was driving 4L89 at the time, but for a few days this week there's been a rather lovely Rolls Royce Silver Shadow parked up behind the up slow platform at Leighton Buzzard. Couldn't see the reg' number but the two tone 'silver over dark green' paintjob looked fantastic.

The Girl From Iponema - various artistes

Well, it takes all sorts..! I think the headlamp rims are from a Wolseley or Riley 1.5, there's a slight 'peak' at the top on some of these and when fitted to Minis the top of the wing is reprofiled by hand to match them. Not keen on them myself but I do like the car itself. Boy would I love a proper Radford Mini...

A newly discovered Radford Cooper S which has popped up in Japan, it was originally two tone brown and gold with Minilites and was registered 'AJK 848C' in 1965 but looks very swish in its subtle new colour scheme with a set of very rare Mk1 Cosmic alloys (the same as used on all of The Beatles Minis...

The Mach One was a much larger looking car than the 'Bullitt' version. Talking of which, I watched it again recently and think it's actually underated as a film in its own right, the famous car chase gets all the attention but the look and feel of the film makes it a fantastic period piece, the late '60s San Francisco backdrop, the excellent supporting cast and Lalo Schifrin's perfect score giving it something 'extra' which a lot of films don't have. When director Peter Yates spoke to Schifrin about scoring the car chase Schifrin told him it would be much better with almost no music at all and he was right... One of the two Mustangs used in the film was found and restored a while ago, last year I think, it had been repainted white but digging deeper beneath the paint and filler revealed some of the dents from the car chase were still there. Wouldn't mind a replica some day..!

A Norman Preedy shot of 444 at Crewe, 1st June 1971...

A'noon folks, I shall simply leave you all with this fine illustration of one of the most joyous things known to mankind... As you were

A couple of screen grabs from 'The Ipcress File' (one of my favourite films, ever) shot at Marylebone in 1965...

A'noon all, hope all's well, Back from Brum where a nice lady with latex gloves on who was a dead ringer for Cheri Lunghi poked and prodded me into submission until I passed another railway medical! I very nearly missed the appointment thanks to the M6 being full of other Brum bound motor vehicle operatives, but at least it's over for another year. Stay safe folks, and avoid any nice ladies wearing latex gloves..!!!

Another good idea for a thread, I do like a nice MacRat... I know I've already posted this in the thread on the old Rugby to Peterborough line a while back but may as well bung it in here - an unidentified green 27 making it's way from Rugby back to the Midland Mainline light engine through Lilbourne in 1966...